The director of a drone-manufacturing facility in Russia faced severe injuries following a car explosion, according to news reports on Wednesday. This marks the second attack within a week on Russian drone producers.
The state news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti reported that Vladimir Tkachuk was in critical condition in the hospital after an explosion on Tuesday night. The incident occurred in Bolshoy Istok, located near Yekaterinburg, roughly 870 miles from Moscow. Reuters stated that the car’s driver died in the explosion.
Images circulated on Russian social media depicted Tkachuk’s Mercedes, reduced to a charred frame surrounded by debris. However, Tass and RIA Novosti provided no immediate details regarding the cause or potential perpetrators of the explosion. There was also no official statement from the authorities.
Tkachuk leads the Uraldronzavod factory, which produces the Upyr drones, known for their resistance to jamming and simplicity. Tkachuk started his company in 2023, creating a team of engineers to develop and manufacture the drones near Yekaterinburg, a significant industrial center in the Ural Mountains. Tkachuk was previously seen presenting his drones to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Vladimir Tkachuk, head of the Uraldronzavod, was with President Putin at the Special Technology Centre in St. Petersburg, Russia, on September 19, 2024.” — Image via Valeriy Sharifulin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo
Last week, the director and founder of another Russian drone company were wounded in a shooting incident, described by prosecutors as an “attempted murder.” Ukraine has not issued any statement regarding this recent explosion.
Notably, the car explosion was reported a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video, claiming to show a Russian drone attacking a civilian in Kherson. In a social media post, Zelenskyy urged the world to view what he described as evidence of Russian soldiers deriving pleasure from killing and abusing civilians.
Russian officials have accused Kyiv of orchestrating several recent attacks, including bombings targeting senior military figures, following Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine starting in February 2022. The latest explosion comes after a bombing on Saturday at a Moscow restaurant. The Russian Embassy in Rome accused Ukraine of executing the attack, seen as an intimidation attempt against the Italian community in Russia. This attack allegedly claimed five lives and injured 19 others. The Russian Foreign Ministry shared the embassy’s statement without adding any comments. Russian security agencies have not publicly identified any suspects.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the restaurant bombing as a “brutal terrorist act” but did not specify any perpetrators. Several reports from Russian media suggested the attack targeted a Russian general celebrating his birthday there. Some outlets identified him as Col.-Gen. Alexander Chaiko, formerly involved in unsuccessful military operations against Ukraine’s capital in 2022 and now heading Russia’s aerospace forces. These assertions remain unverified.
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